What could be juicier than digging into some teasers for Hallmark’s Season 2 of The Chicken Sisters?
Especially with all the upheaval caused by the Kitchen Wars contest. As a reminder, instead of the four women’s crispy poultry – also the town’s favorite – we were shocked and a bit upset that Frank, Jr., took home the $100,000 prize and opened his own rival restaurant.
In preparation for the Season 2 premiere on Sunday, Aug. 10, leading ladies Wendie Malick (Gus), Lea Thompson (Nancy), Schuyler Fisk (Amanda) and Genevieve Angelson (Mae) were happy to exclusively share their take on what happens when your world is upended. For Season 2, the ideal recipe for moving on is all about new beginnings and second chances.
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“In the upcoming season, we all get a chance to really grow, and sort of say goodbye to some of the things that weren’t serving us anymore,” says Malick about the aftermath of the fried chicken contest that brought her estranged family back together.
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“It doesn’t matter how old you are, we’re all works in progress, and we can always improve. When you let the kind people around you help you, you can make great strides,” she adds.
“Even Gus, who was the most closed off,” adds Malick, “finds her heart back open again. [She] has a chance to reconnect with her daughters and her former enemy Nancy, and even allows a former flame back into her life – at least temporarily.”
The Chicken Sisters is about rival fried chicken restaurants in the small town of Merinac, Kansas, where the gossip mill is always hungry for fodder and the chicken wars have been going on for many generations, fueled by lies and secrets from the men in their lives, some of which are yet to be revealed. Season 2 finds the four women involved in various degrees of romance, but what continues to bind and sustain them is sisterhood and family.
When Amanda invites a national reality TV cooking competition into their lives in Season 1, nothing is quite the same. Especially after her husband (and Nancy’s son) Frank Jr. wins the reality TV competition, which brings the four women together.
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Fisk, who portrays Amanda, Gus’ daughter, admits that it is a scary prospect to start over after losing the fried chicken competition. But she believes that second chapters and second chances can be exciting. “Yes, they lost the contest, but I feel like [the women] actually won,” she says.
Malick wholeheartedly agrees. “We may have lost the battle, but we won the war in that we actually found each other again. These estranged families somehow found a way back and realized they were stronger together.”
Additionally, the show reflects her off-screen life. “Without the girlfriends and chosen sisters in my life, I don’t know how I would have gotten through the tough times. I love the wonderful men in my life, but I’ve had women who have consistently been there for me as long as I can remember. And I hope to pay that forward.”
Malick adds that the focus on female bonding is a key ingredient in Season 2 of the series. “I try to teach my daughter that no matter what kind of romantic relationships you might be in, don’t ever forget to water the garden, which is the friendships you have with other women.”
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Angelson is eager to point out how uptight her character, Mae, was in Season 1. And she is excited for us to see her newly softened edges as she moves forward to settling down in her hometown surrounded by friends and family.
“In Season 2, we watch that very awkward thing that happens when an uptight person tries to let go and become relaxed,” she explains. “We see how incredibly unnatural, bizarre, and uncomfortable this can look and feel and be, but it was such an unbelievable treat to play the extremely Type A girl, who tries to have a good time. That’s always really funny for me.”
Thompson adds that Season 1 ended with the aftermath of “the big city coming to town,” and Season 2 reveals much more to stir the pot.
“All four of us (Nancy, Gus, Mae, and Amanda) are together opening up our own restaurants, The Chicken Sisters. So it’s kind of us against my son, Frank, Jr., but there’s so much more,” she says. “My character, Nancy, has a romance with a town hottie, and she kind of comes out of her shell and becomes more of an advocate for herself, for her family, and for her business; she learns how to get the job done!”
Season 2 of The Chicken Sisters premieres on Hallmark on Sunday, Aug. 10. Season 1 is available to stream on Hallmark.
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